The Feedback

Last week, everyone seemed to be talking about the New York Times op-ed by Goldman Sachs employee Greg Smith. And we joined in. Smith wrote that the firm had lost its moral bearings, and now he had to quit. Should speaking out in such a manner be praised or shunned? Here’s what readers had to say:

Reader Mike Grayson grumbled that we were all being distracted from the real issue we should focus on:

Why does Greg Smith get so much attention for his weakly supported claims, when gross corruption in Washington that is proven beyond a shadow of doubt is largely ignored?

Reader Joann Melgar wrote of quitting a longstanding career at a government agency over dissatisfaction with its priorities but said that blowing the whistle would have been inappropriate:

I had gradually drifted away from the prevailing philosophy of increasing the size of the agency to achieve the mission rather than developing more expertise from within to achieve the mission. While whistle-blowing from an upper level manager from that agency would have thrilled elements of the press, I wouldn’t have considered it.

Reader Maverick 18 was very unimpressed with Smith overall:

Formally, a whistle blower is one who exposes illegal or tortious activity. Greg Smith is more of a disgruntled employee who may be hyping his upcoming book or talk show appearances. Nevertheless, a fundamental principle applies, “Nobody likes a rat.”

While reader Donna Guidos suggested that such an attitude was precisely the problem:

This all starts in grade school when the bullies get away with their viciousness for fear of being labeled a tattletale.